What They're Writing

WHAT THEY'RE WRITING

January 7, 1996|BILL PLASCHKE Los Angeles Times and WILLIAM C. RHODEN New York Times and THOMAS BOSWELL The Washington Post and MICHAEL MADDEN The Boston Globe

He no longer could cope

In so many things, as they seem to be today, Don Shula was hopelessly outdated. And so Friday he officially said, "Enough," walking away from a league that more and more promotes style over substance, noise over quiet integrity.

Shula didn't quit coaching because he could no longer coach. He quit because he could no longer cope.

He knew the strategies. What he couldn't quite figure were the stars, the salary cap, the Sunday morning pregame TV babble, the static of sports-talk radio.

-BILL PLASCHKE

Los Angeles Times

Loyalty led to his undoing

Passion was not Shula's problem. Loyalty was. Shula refused to replace Tom Olivadotti as defensive coordinator long after it became apparent that the Dolphins' defense could not stop opposing offenses in crucial games. This was not just a problem this season but one that has festered for several seasons.

Shula's refusal to dismiss or reassign his long-time aide was a noble gesture, but it also symbolizes Shula's Old World detachment from the here and now where, loyalty is bought and sold. And in some ways, Shula did compromise the franchise. ...

But for younger Dolphins fans, and some old ones, too, Shula's longevity became overshadowed by Miami's post-season frustrations. For many of them, his legacy has come to be part of a haunting, Arthurian legend from the '70s when Miami was pro football's Camelot. In 1996, Miami is just another city without a coach.

- WILLIAM C. RHODEN

New York Times

Icons used to merit respect

Friday Shula "stepped aside" as boss of the Dolphins. That's the euphemism they use when you'd like to stay but they decide you should go. ...

Shula had one year left on his contract and, many times, said he wanted the 1996 season to be his last. If Don Shula doesn't merit a valedictory lap on his own terms, who does? This year his team went 9-7, made the playoffs, then lost in the first round. In the '90s, his winning percentage is .606. And, by the way, Shula, 66, has also won more games than any coach in NFL history.

This isn't how it used to be. Not by 180 degrees. For most of this century, our athletic icons were treated with totemic respect. Even if they lost their touch, they were allowed to keep their dignity.

-THOMAS BOSWELL

The Washington Post

Legends don't resign

Perhaps only Oliver Stone knows for sure, but even Richard Nixon's resignation might not have brought out this media horde. So it was that Manny Fernandez stood behind the third row of the 28 television cameras and rubbed his chin.

"I don't know if they've come to bury Caesar," said the former Dolphins linebacker, "or if they've come to praise him."